Viewing Paradise
by Amelia Wolfson
Summary: How I can see the Gilmore Girls responding to the passing of their favorite candy man.


"Mom?" Rory burst through the front door of her mother's home, looking around frantically. Her mother's voice when she called was as hollow and sorrowful as it was the day that her grandfather had the heart attack that resulted in his passing. Worried that something had happened to her grandmother, or worse Luke, she had caught the first train she could from New York. Rounding the corner to the kitchen, she ran into Luke. "Oh thank God!" She huffed in relief, wrapping her arms around his waist, smiling as his arms enfolded her shoulders in a firm hug. He was getting better at that now that April was around more often.

After much debate Luke's youngest daughter – he'd always thought of Rory as his oldest – had settled on MIT for college where she was now in her senior year studying genealogy. Her junior high science fair project had sparked her curiosity about genetics and eventually grew into a passion. They were all eagerly waiting her acceptance letter to Yale's Graduate Pathology Program. They were all proud of her and her desire to try to reduce or cure genetic illnesses.

"What are you doing here?" Luke asked, he was happy to see her as he always was, but it was highly unusual for her to show up unannounced in the middle of the week.

"Mom sounded so upset on the phone; I thought…"

Luke chuckled as the pieces started to come together for him. He kissed her forehead and wiped the stray tear that had leaked from the corner of her eye, "I'm fine, April's fine, and you mom is fine too." He assured her. "They're upstairs. Your mom, crazy woman that she is, insisted April spend the day here rather than moving the last of her things into her dorm at school."

"Grandma and Mia are okay too right?" Rory asked nervously.

"Yes, both are in perfect health and giving me hell in their own sociopathic ways." Luke rolled his eyes. Mia had been like a close aunt to him, especially after his mother had passed, and over the years he'd developed a grudging respect and affection to the woman who would be mother-in-law if he and Lorelai had married. "Everyone is fine."

"Okay then," Rory gave him a perplexed look before slowly pulling back from him. "I guess I'll go up and see what was so urgent that I had to come back today rather than on Friday like I planned."

"Tell your mom I'll be up in a little bit,"

Rory nodded before trudging up the familiar stairs, although the first floor had not been changed much by the renovations done over the years, the upstairs now boasted two additional rooms. The one at the far side of the hall from the master bedroom that was shared by Luke and Lorelai was April's room and the second was a sewing/guest room. It had originally been a nursery but after a few years of trying and no baby, they'd redecorated it. The door to the master suite was wide open revealing Lorelai and April sitting on the large California King bed Lorelai had insisted they needed so that they could all snuggle together and watch a movie when the girls were home. Luke's protests about having a living room for that purpose fell on deaf ears until he grudgingly made the purchase. The women were surrounded by junk food, Rory took note of the prevalence of gobstoppers and nerds in the mix of food that lay in heaps over the bed. They were watching a black and white movie, seemingly engrossed in the scene where a professor was conversing with one of his students.

" _My grandfather was a sick man,"_ She heard before clearing her throat.

"Please tell me you didn't call me here on a _Tuesday_ for a movie night," She crossed her arms, giving her mother an annoyed look.

"We're wallowing," Lorelai explained, her eyes never leaving the screen as the two characters debated the reanimation of worms versus spaghetti.

"Why?" She was getting exasperated, "Everyone is fine, April, did your boyfriend break up with you?"

"No, Jeremy and I are fine." The younger woman shrugged as her finger brushed the bridge of her nose, an old habit from the years she wore glasses before getting contacts.

"Then what's with the urgent wallow session?" Rory demanded, walking toward the bed and letter her eyes look over the selection of DVDs sitting against the footboard. _The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein_ – which was currently playing, and _Willy Wonka_ , she sensed there might be a theme.

Lorelai watched her for a moment before meeting her eyes, "You don't know," it was more a statement than a question.

"Know what?"

"He died today," Suddenly it all made sense, her mother's sadness, the selection of junk food which had an abnormal amount of Wonka treats, even for a Gilmore, and the movies.

"Move over," She kicked off her heels and slid into the bed next to her mother, creating a Lorelai sandwich with herself and her ersatz step-sister as the buns. The trio watched in silence for another hour, stopping only briefly to thank Luke for the sandwiches and coffee he brought up to them.

As they watched the doctor and his creation dancing, Lorelai spoke up once more. "Do you think he and Peter Boyle are up there Puttin' on the Ritz?"

"I'm sure they are, Mom," Rory smiled sadly, "And I bet Marty Feldman is right there egging them along while Dom DeLouise is sitting back laughing."

"Have you ever noticed how my uncle TJ looked kind of like him?" April asked.

"Who?" Lorelai asked.

"Dom DeLouise, it's almost as if he could be his son or something." April shrugged.

"Huh," Lorelai gave it a moment's thought, "I suppose he does, I mean Dom did have three sons, did you know that Dom and his sons all played on _21 Jumpstreet_? The older two Peter and Michael were the Penhall brothers, Dom played their uncle, and their youngest brother David played Doug Penhall as a kid. I hear Peter's a screen writer, Michael picks up bit parts now and again, and David was the dad on _Wizards of Waverly Place_."

"You are the only middle-aged woman with no children I know that has seen that show." Rory chuckled and shook her head.

"What? It was quality television." Lorelai protested.

The women sat silent for a moment before Lorelai spoke again, returning them to their pre-tangent conversation, "Did you know he had Alzheimer's but never said anything?" she asked, "He was never affected to the point where he forgot who he or his family was, but he wanted kids to be able to think of him or greet him as Willy Wonka without adults shattering their wonder by obsessing over his illness."

"I'm not what you would call spiritual or religious," April added softly, "But I think if there is a God, I bet for that alone, he would have been allowed to 'View Paradise.'"

"Nice reference," Lorelai grinned, "We're rubbing off on you."

"Dirty," The girls chorused.

The girls watched through the remaining DVDs, alternating between talking about nothing or pointing out favorite moments in the films. As the glass elevator broke through the ceiling of the Wonka Candy Factory and began to soar over the village, Lorelai spoke again, "I'm gonna miss him," She sighed, "I mean I know he hasn't done anything since Will and Grace, but the world won't be the same place without him. Good bye Gene."

"Bye Gene," The girls echoed as the music played and the credits rolled signaling the end of their wallow session, all knowing that while he may be gone he would never be forgotten and would live in their hearts and the hearts of millions of fans new and old for years to come.

In Loving Memory

Gene Wilder

1933-2016

May we all one day join you in Viewing Paradise.


End file.
